Spring Break Diaries
by irma66
Summary: Neptune's role as a Spring Break destination is being threatened by a serial killer. Mars Investigation is on the case. *Random scenes that fall into the possibilities of the Season 4 Revival*
1. Blast (from the Past)

_So we got the first trailer this week, and I think it may have generated a _bit _of interest. I had a few thoughts about how what we saw will inform Season 4, as I suspect many of you have, and was compelled to write some of them down. This is not intended as a full season, just moments that could occur, and not necessarily in any particular order. _

* * *

Blast (from the Past)

Veronica clicked the mouse to accept the Skype call, then moved to her office door to push it closed, calling over her shoulder as she went.

"Hey, Q, I'm here. Just shutting my door so we don't bug Dad."

She moved back around the desk and sat, then bent over to grab the sandwich Logan had made for her out of her bottom drawer. "Okay, so what did you find? You made it sound really urgent."

Veronica straightened, then sat back in her desk, focusing for the first time on the screen. Mac stared back at her, her face still and pale.

"Mac? What's wrong?"

_"Nothing's wrong. I just thought you needed to know what I found as soon as possible."_ Her voice sounded strained, with no hint of the teasing snark so frequently found in their internet chats.

"Okay," Veronica said slowly, dragging the word out. "Gotta say, not really buying the nothing's wrong statement."

Mac gave a quick shake of her head, but seemed to skip right over Veronica's comment_. "So, I went on a hunt for information about the hotels that have been bombed, like you asked. All different owners."_

"Huh. Okay. I guess that's a dead end."

_"Not done. All different companies owning the four properties that have been bombed, but those companies had parent companies, who had parent companies, who had parent companies. Get about four or five layers in, and things started to come together."_

Veronica raised an eyebrow, speculating. "So that does leave the potential that it's the properties being targeted and random people dying, rather than people being targeted regardless of the property. Not definite one way or the other, but it leaves the possibility that the principal victim could be the property and the guests are just collateral damage."

_"Definitely seems possible."_ Mac's gaze shifted away from Veronica's, seeming to fix someplace beyond the camera.

"Q? What else is there? Do they all end up with a single parent, or grandparent maybe would be a better description."

Mac rolled her eyes and looked into the camera again. _"Try great-great-great-great-grandparent. And yes."_

"What's the company name? And do you have ownership information?"

_"Once I saw the company name, I wanted to bring you in. I haven't gone any further yet." _

"Really? Something we know?" Veronica gasped. "Ooh, like Kane Software?"

_"Nope. This is not your way to them."_ Mac sighed. _"Phoenix Land Trust."_

Veronica frowned. "Should I know that? Seems vaguely familiar, but..."

_"You don't remember."_ It wasn't a question, just a flat statement, and Veronica thought hard, trying to pull whatever nagging trace of familiarity that Phoenix Land Trust held in her memory. Mac's short, bitter laugh pulled her attention back. _"I'm not actually surprised. You had so much going on senior year and he wasn't really on your radar."_

"Senior year?" She'd been thinking more recent. Now she scrunched up her face, wracking her brain to expand her search.

_"Don't hurt yourself,"_ Mac said, her voice lighter_. "It was Cassidy's company. The one he put together after his dad ran off. The one he was using to bet against incorporation. Buying up the properties outside the proposed parameters of the new city, cheap, when it looked like they would be devalued outside Neptune's future city limits, then they'd come back up after Woody's incorporation proposition was defeated."_

"Huh. Cassidy." Not her favorite topic, and in fact, she hadn't thought about him in years and she wouldn't have minded keeping it that way. She suddenly remembered the sandwich in her hand and took a bite, letting a smile creep across her face at the taste of roast beef and homegrown heirloom tomatoes. _Mmm, Logan does make a good little housewife._

_"Okay, so, I see you don't really know about this. I do, because I designed a website for him. And because we were..."_ She paused. _"You know, that was when we were starting to...date."_

Veronica nodded. "All right. Well, he's not part of this, obviously. Did the business go to Dick? Or his dad?"

_"He had a partner. He wasn't eighteen yet, so he needed someone older."_ Mac wrinkled her nose. _"It was his stepmom, the last one, the really young one. Kendall? Did you know her?"_

Veronica groaned. "Yeah, our paths crossed. More than once. Fun fact...she was actually in with the Fitzpatricks. If she's the owner still, and the FitzP's are pulling her strings, we might have a connection here." She paused to consider. "It's been years since I heard anything about her. Maybe she's living somewhere with no extradition treaty. I have no idea why the Fitzpatricks might be blowing up their own properties, or maybe it's a gang war and some rival gang is trying to cause them trouble. I don't know. I'll run this information by Dad and see what he knows about the Fitzpatrick businesses these days. Things changed while I was...out of town...but he'll know who's who in the Clan Fitzpatrick."

_"Clan's more of a Scottish term, Bond."_

"Whatever. Hey, thanks for the information. If you could keep looking into who the principles are of Phoenix Land Trust...see if Kendall's still in the mix, and let me know." She scribbled 'PHX Land T' and 'KenCas (ugh)' on the notepad in front of her. "So, when are we going to see you next, Q? It's not the same with just me and the old man here."

_"I'm not sure. Mama Sinclair keeps adding destinations to this trip. She's pretty committed to us visiting every place that they ever went with Madison. She hasn't said that, of course, but I know that's what this is about...I've seen her list. She writes down what year they'd been anyplace she's included. It's been fun, with her and Lauren, although I've been calling Mom, my other mom I mean, pretty much every other day. She says that she wants me to have this time, with Lauren especially, but I know she's feeling a little threatened."_

"If that bitch Madison would just—"

_"I know, believe me, I know. She refuses to have anything to do with the MacKenzies. I wasn't sure at first that I wanted her to have a chance at MY parents, but now, with her acting like they don't exist...God, I want to beat her ass."_

Veronica gave a small snort of laughter. "I'm with you. Just let me know where and when you want to meet. Logan's got me kickboxing now; I can take her down."

Mac laughed. _"Cool. I'll let you know." _ She sobered, her mouth twisting in what looked like disgust. _"I guess i shouldn't be surprised that she ended up ignoring the MacKenzies; she sided with her dad in the divorce so it's not like her priority is good parental connections. I know she was betting on him coming out on top financially, and it served her well. He totally cut Lauren off since she wouldn't take his side between them, so Madison's basically an only child now."_

"So you've got a super dad and two great moms, plus a brother and a sister, and all she's got is a cheating dad. Sounds like you got the better end of the deal."

_"You know, I agree."_ She smiled and opened her mouth to speak again, but Veronica saw the door behind Mac open and another voice broke in.

_"Mac, come on, we gotta go. Sunset walking tour."_ Lauren appeared next to her sister, looking startlingly like Mac, the college years. _"Hey, Veronica, how's Neptune?"_

"Same super awesome place you left. Where are you guys now?"

Lauren turned to shake her head at Mac. _"Don't you tell her anything?"_ She focused on Veronica again. _"Madrid. We're supposed to be going on a sunset tour through the city, so I've gotta steal her from you. Sorry."_

"No problem at all. She gave me what I needed and she's all yours. Have fun, guys." She glanced at Mac. "Thanks, Q, hopefully we can get somewhere with this and by the time you guys repatriate, this will be all solved. Let me know if you find anything else, okay?"

_"You got it. Talk soon."_ The screen went dark and Veronica took another bite of sandwich, then rose from her chair. _Time to talk to Dad. _


	2. Lives Ruined

_I'm warning you now - this is not my typical fare. I'm always Team LoVe, but these reviews and trailers are concerning me, and this is what came of it. If you're avoiding the trailers or the reviews, or you can't handle a LoVe fight, I would suggest you step away, at least until S4 drops. _

_I'm looking right at you, Kayte76, and JoeCool701 too. Do not say I didn't warn you._

* * *

"You're not even yourself anymore. You're...you're...Logan Light."

There's a short, sharp inhalation of breath, then Logan presses his lips into a thin line and gives a quick nod.

"Okay, then, thanks for finally being honest."

He stands and moves around the sofa, heading toward their bedroom.

"Logan, I didn't me—"

"You did." He stops but does not turn back to face her. "You're always sorry, but I don't believe you anymore that you don't really mean the things you say and they just slip out in the heat of the moment. You say them because they're what you really feel, and when we fight, you can't keep them in anymore."

"Logan, no, that's just some counseling mumbo-jumbo—"

He pivots back. "Stop. It's not. But I have zero expectations any more that what is important to me even matters to you." He doesn't look angry like she wants him to; he just looks...resigned. "I love you, Veronica, but I spent the first seventeen years of my life being abused. I can't just keep taking the same from you because I love you more than anything."

"What?" It doesn't matter if he's mad now, she's mad enough for both of them. "Taking the same from me? What the...argh...hell is that supposed to mean?"

He huffs out a laugh and shakes his head. "Good to see your commitment to your curse word competition," he spits before turning away and starting for the bedroom again.

She twists further around on the sofa, watching him walk away from her. "You can't just walk away. We're fighting."

He stops again, this time to scratch Pony's head. The dog is always very attuned to their moods, and he seems as anxious as she feels. "I'm not fighting with you, Veronica." He straightens and moves away again as she watches him go, not sure what to do next. She hears the closet door open, then drawers opening and closing. She flies off the couch and down the short hall to their bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Like that's not apparent. He's tossing clothes into a Navy duffel and doesn't look up at her. "Where are you going?"

"I need to think."

"That can't be done here?" She can hear the hint of hysteria in her tone and sucks in a deep breath to tamp it down. "Can we just talk about this?"

"We talked. Now I need to think. And no, I don't think it can be done here." He carries the bag to the bathroom, from which the sounds of more drawers opening and closing echoes out to her, then he's back in the doorway, looking at her. The look of resignation is gone, replaced with that flat, blank gaze, the one she equates with the Navy, no emotions, all business. "I'm going to Dick's. He's probably not even there; he's got so much to do with this Spring Break stupidity." He grimaces then and it's almost a relief...he's still feeling something at least.

"Logan, look, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be hurtful; you're just so different than you used to be. It's strange sometimes."

"Funny, back when I was Logan the jackass trouble-maker, you always wanted me to make something of myself. It was always made very clear to me that I was not good enough. No ambition. No drive. Lazy. Spoiled. But now that I'm not that guy anymore, and I have actually found a purpose, and have become a productive member of society...now I'm just a shadow of who I was...Logan Light." His eyebrows furrow and one side of his mouth draws down. "You wanna know what I think?"

She takes a step back and drops onto the foot of the bed. "Probably not."

He apparently doesn't care because he tells her anyway. "I think you liked me better as a screw-up because it was a lot easier to judge me that way. Your own shortcomings seemed small compared to a guy who drank too much, and slept around when his heart was broken, and hit innocent schmucks."

Even white-hot anger and soul-crushing fear can't make that not funny and she coughs out a laugh and shakes her head. "Piz wasn't a schmuck."

"Oh, he was such a schmuck." The rigid set of his shoulders softens just a bit, but his face doesn't change.

"Okay, maybe." She looks away, focusing her gaze at the bright blue sky outside their bedroom window. _Why isn't it storming out there like it is in here? Because it's freakin' Southern California, that's why._

"Look, no matter what you think, I'm not trying to judge you, Veronica. I certainly know that nobody's perfect. But you always want to be able to judge me. Enough so that even when there's nothing left to judge, you make shit up." He swipes his free hand across his forehead. "Now I'm reformed Logan, fake Logan, Logan Light, and you're pretty clear that all those things are bad. Just because I want us to think about the future. Like other people. Like Wallace and Shae. That's all I want. A life with you. Maybe with kids, maybe not. As long as I'm with you, I can manage either. But you won't even talk to me about it."

"I talked to you," she interrupts, but he doesn't stop.

"And when I try, you tell me that all the things I did to make something of myself...all the things that make me proud of who I've become...you make sure that I know that you think those things are shit. Then you take them back, say you didn't mean them, but boy do they tumble out again next time you need to remind me that I'm nothing." He sighs. "When you used to get mad at me for whatever I'd done, I accepted that you were right. I knew I was a fuck-up and I knew you weren't. But now—"

"Now you're perfect and I'm the fuck-up," she says in a bitter voice.

"No!" For the first time in the conversation, he sounds angry. "That is not what I said and it's not what I meant. I certainly don't have any illusions that I'm perfect, and I don't think you're a fuck-up. You're the woman I love more than my own life, but I'm tired of you looking for ways to undermine us. I can't be the only one who really cares that we're together."

"What the hell does that mean?" she shouts, rising to her feet. "You think I don't care?"

"Not enough." He shakes his head, sadness now in his eyes as he looks at her. "I'm gonna go."

"To Dick. I guess some things _don't_ change."

"What can I say? At least Dick doesn't take it as a personal affront that I've made something of myself." He moves across the room, stopping in front of her and pressing his lips to the top of her head for a moment, stepping away when she tries to slip her arm around his waist. She watches with dismay as he walks out of the room, but when she hears the front door open, she dashes after him.

"Logan!"

He stops and looks back at her with shiny eyes.

"You said always." She can't stop the trembling in her voice or in her hands. "Always. Didn't you mean that?"

Logan looks up at the ceiling and his eyes squeeze shut for a moment. "I meant it. But if you don't really want that, it doesn't matter what I say." He sighs again, then looks straight at her.

"I love you," he says, and disappears out the door.


End file.
